As part of our new series of chats with hotel heroes, who play a vital role in creating the perfect natural adventures for everyone, meet Gustavo Romero from Posada La Plaza in Canillas de Albaida. As he hosts guests on our centre-based walking holiday in Málaga, he sees their adventures through from beginning to end. Gustavo has lived in his village all his life, and his outward-looking approach to sustainable and nature-based tourism is spot on. By bringing his daughters into his hotel business, he is creating a great legacy for his family, his greater family of villagers and for an even greater family of worldwide walkers.
Tell us a little about the history of Posada La Plaza?
My family and I have owned this building for over 20 years, but originally, over a hundred years ago, it was a convent. First of all it was turned into three houses, where my family still lives, including my parents and my grown up children, but we also now have a hotel at the heart of it. And we have spent years restoring it to its original features, and I’m very proud of that.
Who runs the hotel?
I run it with the help of my two daughters, Sara and Lucia, both of whom have worked closely with our keen walkers for around 10 years now. So it’s a father and his girls (and expensive girls!)
Why is Posada La Plaza so good for walkers?
The main reason is because our village, Canillas de Albaida, is only five minutes’ walk from Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama Natural Park. We’re really the heart of hiking here. As well as that, the village is only 25mins drive from the coast, particularly Nerja, which is a very beautiful town indeed. Walkers often add a rest day to visit Nerja or Torre del Mar, as well as the whitewashed Andalucian village of Frigiliana (about 30km from us). Our nearest beach is Playa de Algarrobo.
On the first day when I meet my guests, I say ‘Welcome to my paradise!’ and by the time they leave, after they have walked the El Saltillo path, the Cerro Verde or the Silk Route, so many of them say to me, “Gustavo, now we know why this is your paradise!”
What makes your hotel stand out from other hotels?
Well I think it’s all about the restoration work that we’ve done to maintain some of the original features of the convent. It’s the complete opposite of a modern boutique hotel where everything is white and fashionable. Here, we have lots of arches, original stone walls and also it’s a bit like a labyrinth, with rooms tucked away in secret corners. There is no lift, I’m afraid, so when you come here to walk, you start walking from the minute you leave reception after check-in! But people love the original features and the story of how we’ve restored it all.
What are the views like from your hotel?
My hotel is in the centre of the village, so when you look out the windows you see the square and the church, but also my parents’ home and my lovely neighbours! It’s a small community here in Canillas de Albaida and it has a very strong local feel. Which you see the minute you open the windows. However, even though it’s a village, or small town really, there are plenty of services and restaurants. I don’t want to give the impression that it’s so small there is nothing here. It’s not like that at all. It’s a busy community, and even though there are only 800 people living here, we have all the same facilities as you do in the city.
So does your small community ever get fed up with tourists?
Not at all. It’s part of our lives here, and local people are very warm. They give hugs, they say good morning to all the walkers and visitors, and they love providing good local food in their restaurants. We are very proud of Canillas de Albaida and we love that our visitors get a feeling of why we’re so proud of it. Tourism also sustains the economy, in a region where the main industry has been farming, particularly grapes, avocados and mangoes. But this produce caters to our visitors now too.
When do you host most of your visitors?
We welcome walkers all year round, but the majority come in spring and autumn. So they start coming between March and June, then September to November are very popular too. But the weather is fantastic here all year round really. July and August are a bit too hot though.
What are the three things you love most about being a hotelier?
First and foremost, I love being close to my guests. My personality is very friendly, and the fact that I get to meet people from many different countries, and hear their stories, is really wonderful for me. Secondly, I love that every day is different and that I get to do all sorts of different things, from helping with food, driving my guests, supporting them or even being their waiter! Thirdly, I love the cultural and educational aspect of being a hotelier. As I meet people from all over the world, I really feel that helps expand my mind. I learn so much from such a different bunch of people. Especially as I’ve lived in this same small village all my life.
What’s your best memory you have of a walking guest?
Well it’s not exactly a good memory, but it was a bit of an adventure. One day, one of our walkers had an accident while walking the Silk Route. They were out near Venta María and sadly he broke his leg. They called me and I came straight away and made a stretcher out of cloth and walking poles, to be carried by four of us. However, when I got to him, we realised that the path was too narrow for four of us to carry him on the stretcher. So I just put him on my shoulders, and we managed to get him back to the car, and then the hospital.
What I loved was that the gentleman sent me a painting of me carrying him on his shoulders, after he got back to England safely, with his leg all plastered. This was 12 years ago, and not a customer from The Natural Adventure, but I will never forget it and I still have the painting on my desk. I should add that these sorts of incidents are very rare though.
What do walking guests worry about most of all?
Everyone worries about having a reliable contact on the ground when they go hiking, in case of emergencies. I always reassure them that they can contact me directly, and they have signal for most of the trails. The only place where they don’t have signal is on the way to the summit of Cerro Verde, so if they want to organise transport, or are concerned about weather etc, they need to contact me before the ascent. Or come back down to call me. But I always reassure people about communications, and to tell them that I’m available 24/7. That way they can relax and just enjoy walking.
What’s the thing that walkers do that bothers you?
Having said that above, I’m not crazy about when people disturb me during my siesta! It’s important to us in Spain, and sometimes visitors don’t get that part of our culture. Of course an emergency is an emergency and my phone is always switched on. But I do love my siesta! I’m also not a fan of when people use all the ingredients from our breakfast buffet to make their packed lunch. We happily make packed lunches for people, but please don’t use the breakfast for your picnics.
What’s your favourite walk in the region?
For me personally, it has to be the Cerro Verde, because it is the wildest trail. You really get to experience mountain wilderness there.
Do you serve dinner and if so, what sort of food?
We do serve dinner, yes, and we have a great variety of menus, but always with a focus on local food. Such as paella, wild boar, or black pudding made with local honey. Even people who don’t think they like black pudding enjoy this one. Today’s special, for example, is oxtail and spinach croquettes. All of these recipes are traditional mountain food from our region. The most popular dinner with hungry walkers, however, is roasted pork fillet stuffed with manchego cheese, spinach and serrano ham.
What are your top three tips to walkers visiting your region?
First of all, the water is really good here but, because I don’t know their bodies and their stomachs, I recommend they buy bottled water. As they may not be used to our water.
Secondly, I recommend visiting all of our restaurants in the village and trying everything. Thirdly, always protect yourself with sunscreen, a hat and take plenty of water. Oh and always have a battery pack for your phone.
For more information on our walking holiday in Málaga, where you get to stay in Gustavo’s Posada La Plaza, see our holiday link below. You may also enjoy all our other blogs on Spain here. For any other details, please don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists.
